Premiere: Nick Zubeck Finds A Balance On New Single “West of Somewhere”
Guelph musician Nick Zubeck is set to release his sixth studio album Venusian Blues on June 19th, adding to his lengthy career as a singer-songwriter and touring guitarist for the likes of Sun Kil Moon, Royal Wood, and Great Lake Swimmers. From the release, here is the album’s lead single and music video “West of Somewhere”.
On Venusian Blues, Zubeck continues his intricate and unique folk-ish style of incorporating delicate instrumental arrangements and psychedelic treatments into his music – the latter providing a more hands-on experience for the album’s lead single, a song composed after a unique escapade.
“‘West Of Somewhere’ is a song partially inspired by a mushroom trip I did in a sensory deprivation tank. It was the most disembodied feeling of consciousness I’ve ever experienced. It felt like being propelled through an exhilarating landscape of sensory cohesion. Visuals of geometric shapes and intense feelings of grief and gratitude swelled from one to another until they became indistinguishable. But never once did I feel out of control or afraid. Truly awesome.”
But the psychedelic shapes and intense emotions weren’t his only companions in the tank. Zubeck continues:
“During the trip I had a bona fide vision – I encountered who I later confirmed to be Anubis, the Egyptian god of the underworld. According to myth, at the end of one’s life, Anubis takes one’s heart and weighs it against an ostrich feather. If the feather outweighs the heart, heaven awaits. If not… unimaginable suffering (hell). So my take home message was: lighten up! This came after a spell of very heavy, emotionally challenging years, so the timing was perfect. The song and album reflect on love and loss, both romantic and otherwise.”
On “West of Somewhere”, a gently plucked nylon stringed guitar provides the song’s foundation, blending into Zubeck’s delicate vocals as he sings about finding balance in life. A swelling, omnipresent synthesizer, Paul Simon-esque phased out Rhodes, and swampy fretless bass create an enchanting backdrop, accentuated by an ethereal flute arrangement.
Shot during the first few weeks of quarantine, the music video was produced by Nick’s son Jacob Mittermaier-Zubeck who also designed the costumes of Anubis and the Plague Doctor, the two subjects that put Zubeck to the feather test.
Venusian Blues will be available on Bandcamp on June 19th, in vinyl and digital formats. It will be available on digital streaming services in July.
